Starving for love
by Wellthatsprettyinteresting
Summary: Trapped in a situation she never thought she would be in, Sarah now has to face the Hunger Games, and against Cato, too. But Cato has another plan with her. She interests him...
1. Quick

By the time I had gotten up, I was late. I climbed out of bed, and quickly got dressed. I grabbed my knife. Today, there would be plenty of people to sell to, plenty of people who are hungry.

As I quietly reached for the handle to the door, I heard footsteps behind me. I swung around to see my older sister standing behind me.  
"You're going out again…" she questioned  
"Yes, I am", I replied," Somebody has to feed you".  
"You know I ca-", she replied, but I cut her off.  
"Stop being Ridiculous, Katrina. ", I said, my voice regaining its control soon after. "I want to do this, it's our life".

She faked a smile.  
As I turned to go, she reached out to me  
"Sarah, be careful. ", she said.  
" As careful as death", I replied, opening up the door and letting it fall shut behind me.

Here in District 12, most civilians would be mingling quietly, slowly starving with a hopeful face. But today, not a person was seen among the streets. All windows were shut, and the doors were locked tight. Nobody would be coming out anytime soon. Well that is, all except for one particular girl.  
The high-voltage gates stood in front of me, clearly not on at this early in the morning. I headed towards the left side, where a nook was located. I slid through it, and bound off towards the woods, still keeping as silent as possible.  
_"As careful as Death" _I repeated in my mind. Those were my father's words. Before he had gone off to be a peacekeeper, his conversation with my Mom still clung to me like glue.  
"Honey, you never know what district they'll put you in. You have to be safe, you have to be careful. ", my mother pleaded.  
"As careful as death", my father challenged. And ever since then, my brain had just absorbed all of it. The words were engraved there forever.

I ran through the trees, effortlessly not making any noise. I headed towards the old mountain peak, where hopefully my lifelong friend would be.

"There you are", Zailia said, as I appeared from the thick blue flower bushes. " I almost thought you had locked yourself inside of your house, like all of the others".  
"If only it were that simple", I laughed.

She threw me a piece of bread.  
"Oh my gosh, where did you get this?" I gasped.  
"You can already guess", she sulked, still smiling faintly.  
"No.", I said. "Don't tell me you put your name in more times for this"

"No, not me, but my brother", she said. "He told me to use it wisely.  
"Thank you… so much", I said, passing her a half.  
"Happy hunger games", Zailia whispered.  
" And may the odds be ever in your brother's favor." I added.

We slowly made our way through the forest, until I picked up my bow and arrow from its usual hiding spot within a tree.  
I passed Zailia my knife. There in front of us, was a deer. I hadn't seen one in years, and here one was in front of us… on Reaping Day.

"Go for it", Zailia whispered, her eyes wide open.  
"Shh", I drew back my bow, my breath leaving me slowly.  
Before the poor thing could get one last breath, my arrow hit it straight to the head, knocking the animal to the ground.

"You got it!" Zailia squealed." You'll get a fortune for it!"

"I'm sure I would." I said. "But I'd rather have a good meal. We can share it, and you can take the rest back to your brother, as a Thank you."

We ate silently, since this was the only specialty we'd be enjoying today.

"How many times is his name in today?" I asked.

"37", Zailia replied.

I sighed. We hadn't eaten even half of the deer, yet we had already lost our appetites.

"I should get going. I have to get ready", I said helping Zailia up with me.  
"Me too", she said.

I I waved her goodbye, and headed back home.

The wind blew through my dark blonde hair, which had only gained its highlights from hunting all summer.

I walked through the door to find my sister all dolled up, In a pink checkered dress with her hair up in an elegant braid.  
My mom looked like she always did. Hair up, and dressed in decent clothes. She pointed to my room. "I found something for you, too", she said.

Puzzled, I walked into my room, finding a beautiful dark blue dress with lace sleeves, and a golden cross necklace to go with it.  
As I put it on, I had to admit something. Besides when the wind wisped past me in the woods, I had never felt this beautiful, and I hated it. I didn't want to feel this way when showing up to something as sickening as the Reaping.

I didn't see the point in anyone getting dressed up for the event. When one boy, one girl, was picked to be sent to a torturous death- to be picked as the tributes for the Hunger Games. There had never been a winner from our district. Let alone, from a district below 2. All the capitol wanted was a good show, which to them was a group of children murdering themselves brutally.

My thoughts were interrupted as my mother and sister entered the room.

"You look great", my mom said, while fastening the golden necklace around my neck," but there's one last touch".  
In just a couple of minutes, my mom had braided a portion of my hair, revealing a white bow in which she fastened the hair with.

I gazed at my reflection in the mirror. Just then, the bell rang out, sending chills down my body; out the door we went.

After we got out blood taken and checked in, I found me in the middle of a group of girls in who were silent, in regards to being too scared to speak.

Even though it had already been dead quiet, it seemed that everyone held their breath as Effie Trinket made her way onto the stage, her heals clicking loudly.

"Welcome, welcome", she said, awkwardly breaking the silence. "The time has come to select one courageous young man and woman for the honor of representing District 12 in the 74th annual Hunger Games!" , she announced.

As if to only torture our patience longer, she played a meaningless film, produced by the one- and-only Capitol.

The Capitol is the insufficient leader of all the districts, the dictating power-holders over us all, it seems. The sick people find enjoyment in making it look like there is one ounce of fun and games in locking 24 children up in an arena, and forcing them to kill each other.

"As always," Effie trinket began in her annoying Capitol accent," ladies first ".

I looked for Zailia, but she was nowhere in my sight. Though I did find her brother, Evangis, standing uneasily.

Effie's shoes clacked once again, as she pranced across the stage. She made her way over to one of the two bowls, each on opposite sides of the stage. They were filled with countless slips of paper, labeled with names of the potential tributes of the 74th Hunger Games.

I wasn't all that worried for anyone besides Zailia and me, since Katrina was twenty-one. Only children between the ages of twelve through eighteen could participate.

As Effie reached in dramatically, her pink-painted eyes scanned for the destined slip. She finally retrieved the one that satisfied her, and pranced back over to the microphone. The center of tension was lying between her fingers. All eyes were fixed on her as she opened the slip of paper, and cleared her throat. She through her well-known smile across her face, and read the name loudly.  
But as the name she called processed through my mind, my heart stopped. It felt as if I had just jumped off of a one-hundred-story building. Oh no, the name was not mine. It was someone far more important to me, though.

The name Effie Trinket had called as the Girl tribute to the 74th Annual Hunger Games  
was Zailia Hasherold.


	2. Sweet Friendship

No, this couldn't be, this could not be true.  
The crowd parted, to reveal Zailia in a light green dress, heading towards the stage.  
"Zailia!", I yelled. I could feel people restraining me, but I shrugged them off.

"No" I yelled, "No...No!".

I broke out from the rest of the people, this time having the peacekeepers grab at me.

"I volunteer!" I yelled. "I volunteer in her place! I volunteer as tribute!" I yelled, my voice echoing loudly.

"Sarah! ", Zailia whimpered as they lead her back to the crowd.  
"Go find Evangis ", I yelled back.

"No! ", She screamed, tears now running down her face.  
"It's going to be alright, Zailia", I promised.

My mom was holding Katrina, both of them crying. She welcomed Zailia into the embrace, as they all held each other tightly.

"What is your name sweetie? ", Effie interrogated.  
"Sarahfina Leversend", I replied, my voice burning with despair.

"Well, I'm not doubting that she was your best friend, am I correct? ", Effie continued.

I nodded, not wanting to give her any satisfaction from me speaking.

"And now for the boys", Effie said, working her stilettos to the other bowl. She reached in, and with no hesitation, pulled out a slip.

She hurried to the microphone and read out the male tribute's name.  
"Roflin Rose", she announced.

_Could this day get any worse? _ I asked myself.

Roflin's face was frozen in terror. Suddenly my mind flung back to when I used to be in love with him. I'd stare, I'd follow, I'd do anything to see him; but he had taken it to a different level. He claimed that I was stalking him. This to everyone sounded accurate, me being 12, while he was 15. In a way actually, I had. Mostly though, I had just wanted to love somebody, and have them love me back.  
All the girls liked him nowadays, so I was going to make sure that I ignored him at all times possible.  
Although a part of me just wanted to click with him automatically, so we could get through this Hell of a game together, even if we had to kill one another in the end anyways.

Still, I couldn't believe this was happening. An alright day, turned into a horrible day. And a horrible day had turned into the worst day of my life.

"Okay you two, shake hands", Effie probed excitedly. I looked at Roflin, who had finally made his way to the stage, with disgust on my face. All that portrayed in his eyes, were fear and sorrow.

He read out his hand to me, and I took it unwillingly, my body feeling violated with the littlest contact from him.

Just then, the whole crowd touched their three fingers to their lips, and lifted them in our direction.

"Ladies and gentleman", Effie began. "Let's have a big round of applause for our 74th annual Hunger Games tributes! ".

Nobody clapped.  
" Happy Hunger Games, everyone", Effie congratulated. "And may the odds, be ever in your favor" .


	3. Author's Note!

Okay. So, I might as well tell you guys, before you get overly confused.  
Sarah and Roflin have already arrived to the Capitol, while also already meeting Haymitch, their crazy mentor.

Before Sarah left for the Capitol, Her mother, sister, Zailia, and Evangis paid her a visit.  
Her mother had given her Julius's collar.

(Julius was Sarah's cat. [Sure, laugh now, but this is actually true] He had been put to sleep due to Heart Failure when Sarah was in 5th grade. He was a Bombay cat, and was far from being just a pet. He was a part of her. And if you have ever experienced a relationship with a little friend like this, then you'd understand. )

Sarah and Roflin haven't talked at all yet. Well, not counting when Roflin tries to attempt speaking to her, but she dismisses it immediately.

Anyways, Cato is about to come into the story. And they're about to go into training with all the other tributes as well.  
In case you didn't know, I'm all for Cato. He's got the face, the body, the hair, and he's foreign.

What could be better than that?

Okay, well, I hope you've been enjoying the story, and I'm sorry for any typos !

Oh, and might I add that chapter 3 will be coming up VERY soon! I already have the name, and a couple sentences, haha.

Danget, this is a long author's note. I gotta' end this.

BYE 3


	4. The Object Outside of the Game

"I know you're good with the bow and arrow".

That was the first time Roflin had talked to me.

I glared at him. "So? It's not like- ", I hissed, but Haymitch cut me off.

"Sweetheart, they just want a good show. If you have any talents, they're at least worth something. ".

I looked down.

"But here's the thing. When you go to training tomorrow, you're not to show any of your pro's, not even the con's. You want to learn new things, and study others.

"But-"

"Now, ", Haymitch regained, cutting Roflin off,"I'm going to go get me some wine. ".

Letting my curiosity get the best of my anger,"What were you going to ask?" I questioned.

Roflin turned to me, the surprise that I had talked to him obvious on his face.

"But what if we don't have any talents...", he stated.

" Oh shut up, Roflin. You know you're good at things.. like climbing! Oh, and let's not forget that you know all about plants and berries. You know about everything nature, for God's sake! ",

"Yeah, 'cause finding leaves and climbing trees is definitely going to save my life ", Roflin argued.

" You heard Haymitch, little things count! Look, things like that will give you a better chance of surviving-"

"Surviving?" Roflin yelled. "I have no chance of that, Sarah. This is my one way ticket to Hell. And telling me that stuff isn't going to keep me alive any longer inside of that arena. ".

"What, are you giving up? You're not going to put up a fight? 'Cause that's what you have to do Ryan, fight for this. It's not just going to be handed to you in a box with a ribbon." I yelled back.

"Are you two done? ", Effie asked calmly, walking into the dining room.

"I think so", I said, standing up from the table and storming back to my room.

I opened the door and slammed it behind me. Why does he have to be so aggravating? If only I could just talk to Cinna. He'd understand.

Wanting to just forget about the argument Roflin and I just had, I hopped into the shower. The warm water felt soothing on my tired and stressed out body. If only… if only I could just escape the games, too.

I threw on a long sleeved blue shirt and some black sweat pants. As I was about to climb into my bed, I heard a knock on the door. Just in case it was Roflin, I ignored it. There was no way I was about to argue with him over something stupid again.

"Goodnight ", I heard from a high-pitched voice that was well known to be Effie Trinket's.

As I lay in bed, I remember the faces of all of the tributes, mostly the careers lingering in my head. Then the face of the boy from District 2 flashed in my head. Cato, I think his name was. He's strong, muscular, and easily beats all of the other boy tributes in size. Rolfin's definitely going to have to keep an eye on him, if he wants to stay alive longer.

I'm nervous about training tomorrow, especially about how good the other tributes are going to turn out to be. I'm definitely worried about what I'll thing about them, or what they'll think about me. But right now, I need some sleep.

And I fell right into it.

I woke up with Effie's "Today is a big, big day!" yet again.

All it took was a shower to wake me up, and get me nervous all over again. For training today, they laid out for a black fitted shirt, with the number "twelve" stitched onto the back, with black pants and boots.

I remembered Haymitch's advice, before meeting up with Roflin after breakfast. I had been too nervous to eat.

We were the last tributes to arrive, which only added on to the tension. I could feel all of their eyes on me, eating my image up like a pack of hungry wolves.

I looked at Roflin, who was standing tall and proud. I made me kind of envy his confidence. Me, being "the girl on fire" should at least have the confidence to make up for the title.

I picked my head up.

For some reason, I just wanted to stay by his side. It wasn't that I was attracted to him, ( trust me, all that had been left of that was gone.) but he was all that I had left of home, in this room full of predators.

"Try not to kill each other while training. You can save that for when you're in the arena. ", a woman dressed in dark clothes instructed.

I looked all around. I noticed that all of the other tributes had been staring Roflin and me the entire time.

Scanning over all of the tributes, my eyes fell on Cato. I had to stop myself from jumping back a little when I caught his intense stare. His deep blue eyes held an emotion of desire that I couldn't quite pick up, and it startled me. They bored into me until I had to look away. He had looked at me like I was his lunch. No doubt, I was the first person he wanted to stomp all the life from.

I probably looked so vulnerable, twirling around on stage last night. If it wasn't for Ceaser's great sense of humor, (and wonderful ability to save people's butts.) I would've been labeled as some weakling. All of the tributes probably saw me as some joke, some goner. They thought of me as if I was a fragile leaf brought into a roaring thunder storm.

Suddenly, everybody started moving around. I felt Roflin leave from my side. I guess she had set us loose while I had been zoning out.

"Coming?",

I turned to see Roflin standing blankly a few feet away from me.

"Yes, I-", I began, stopping as I saw Cato walk past me. He looked over his shoulder at me, as if he knew I had been watching him.

"What's his deal?", I asked Roflin.

"I don't know, and I don't think I want to find out", he said, looking the massive tribute up and down.

He turned back to me.  
"So where should we begin "learning", like Haymitch said?" Roflin asked.

"Well obviously we should start with something we're no good at." I stated.

"Which is a lot, in my case", Roflin added.

Roflin and I began to work in stations, staring with some of the more challenging obstacles. Most of them, we failed terribly at, and we weren't the only ones that noticed. By the time we had moved on to one of our final stations, most of the tributes had stopped to watch us, like we were their entertainment.

All of the sudden, I saw Roflin walk away from me. He was heading towards a station that contained a large-weighted ball.

"_Oh great" _I thought to myself "_he's going to embarrass him_self _while all of them are watching."_

"You've got an interesting friend there"

I swung back to see Cato towering behind me, his eyes watching Roflin carefully.

"I'm sure I do". I agreed.

Suddenly, I heard a loud crashing noise, and I turned to see that Roflin had thrown the weighted-ball entirely into a rack of metal spears; which were a pretty good distance away from him.

I looked back to see that Cato had gone back t o socializing with the rest of the careers.

I ran over to where Roflin was.

"How did you do that, Roflin? I didn't know you were that strong", I enthused.

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me", Roflin said, looking up at me.

He walked away, joining most of the others as they began to exit the training room.

I started to follow, but the feeling of hot breath on my shoulder stopped me in my tacks.

"You've shown us your light, fire girl", a voice that I recognized to be Cato's whispered into my ear, "But I want to feel your burn".


	5. Knowing Nothing

**A/N! : Hey guys! I really needed to add a little note up here, before you started asking questions. Yes, I know that in the 3****rd**** chapter, (The object outside of the game) I had accidentally replaced Roflin's name with "Ryan ". There's a reason for that…**

**So this story is based off of real characters. Roflin Rose, is based off of a boy that I used to really like. He's exactly like I make him in the story. Ignorant, but smart. So Sometimes, I accidentally type his real name, instead of his name in the story. So if you were wondering about that, there's an explanation for ya'.**

**Also, I had a question about whether Sarah is still twelve or no. The answer to that, is no. In this story, Roflin is eighteen, and Sarah has ****only Just turned**** seventeen. Don't say " But you said She like Roflin when she was twelve and he was fifteen!" . Yes, I know what I put. People age - Some, faster than others.**

**NOW BACK TO THE STORY ! **

Haymitch wasn't too pissed about Roflin showing off his strength.

"They were looking at me like I was a meal", Roflin complained.

"It's okay, buddy. I would've done the same thing", said Haymitch.

Roflin looked on, a light burning in his eyes.

I was confused about what Roflin had said to me last night." _There's a lot of things you don't know about me". _What the hell did he mean by that? Was that supposed to be some insult to throw in my face?

And then there were Cato's words. Just thinking about them sent a shudder down my spine. Apparently Roflin isn't the only one that needs to keep an eye on him.

I stare at my food, knocking it around with my spoon.

"_Oh no, I have manners. I don't like to play with my food. I like to just get rid of it. But of course, I'll have some fun with it first"_

That was what Cato had said during his interview with Ceaser.

My appetite was gone.

"Alright, you two; Go fix yourselves up. You need to be nice and ready to show your stuff tonight", Haymitch said.

I had almost completely forgotten about our individual training sessions that were being held tonight. I hope I don't see Cato, even if I'm sure that I won't.

"_But they can be arrogant, and arrogance can be a problem"_ , I remembered Haymitch telling us, the first night we had arrived.

"Go get dressed", Effie urged, shooing Roflin and me away.

After getting ready, I was already stressed out, not to mention extremely nervous.

I went to go ask for permission to walk around, which I ended up being granted. I headed out the door, purposely forgetting to invite Roflin.

I went into a separate room on the bottom floor. Displayed here, were framed pictures of past Hunger Games victors. Their faces looked distorted in a way, as if winning the Hunger Games had taken something precious away from them.

"Didn't expect to see you here".

I looked behind me to see Cato.

_Great._

"You have no need to. I'm only here out of boredom", I answered, which was only half true.

He smirked.

For some reason, my body tensed up in a way that I didn't like whenever he did that. I turned back around.

"How's your little boyfriend?" I heard Cato ask.

Out of shock, I turned, facing him.

"Roflin?" I asked, practically yelling at him.

"If that's his name" said Cato calmly, a spark of amusement in his eyes.

"Oh no", I laughed. "He's nowhere near to being my boyfriend, or anything like it.", I hissed out ," He's not even a friend".

"Ah" Cato sighed. " So you aren't claimed by anyone?"

I felt my face get automatically hot with embarrassment at his words.

"How dare you. For you to even think that someone could claim me is hilarious.", I growled.

"I think I could change that" he smiled.

"Oh, do you? I dare you to try. Lay one finger on me, and I'll kick your ass", I spit.

Within minutes, he had me against the wall with my wrists pinned above my head.

I made a few attempts to kick him, or push him away, but he had me trapped.

"There's that fire that I love about you", he whispered.

'That's funny, 'cause there's not one thing that I love about you."

"Oh really? You don't think I'm the least bit attractive? I find that hard to believe, with you blushing at every word I say."

That didn't help.

I had to admit he was beyond attractive, but I didn't want to. He had tousled blonde hair, with ocean blue eyes. His body was toned and muscular; I could feel it as he pressed against me. But what was he playing at?

"Get off of me" I yelled, halfway pleading.

"Aw, the little princess wants to get back to her beloved prince", he played.

I hated it whenever people brought up the fact that I used to like Roflin. I hated it even more, when they accused me of still liking him. Having Cato tease, me about it, made my blood boil.

Loosening his grip on my wrists, he bent down and kissed my neck

"_What the __**fuck?" **_I thought to myself, trying not to show how good it felt.

"Just remember, my little flame. Every inch of you is mine now." He breathed.

"To tell with that", I said, yanking my wrists free from his grip, and shoving him off of me.

I ran off, back to the elevator, back to our floor, into the safety of my room, and away from Cato.


	6. Consideration

"They looked pretty startled", I described the game makers to Haymitch, guilt filtering through my voice.

Haymitch let out another evil chuckle

I guess coping with nervousness and anger at the same time isn't as easy as everyone thought. During my individual evaluation, I had shot an arrow right at the game makers, angry with how they ignored me.

"What did you say again?", Haymitch asked

"Thanks for your-"

"Thanks for your consideration!", he finished "I love it!"

"What bad manners", Effie mumbled.

"Sweetheart, I would've given anything to see it", Haymitch confessed, ignoring Effie.

"Hush everyone! It's on!" Effie hissed.

I looked over to see an image of Ceaser, with a gentle but serious expression on his face.

Minutes passed, while we waited for me and Roflin's scores. Cato had gotten a ten, which didn't surprise me at all with his skills. But what did surprise me, was that little Rue had gotten a seven! Seeing her size while training, it was hard to believe! … Well almost.

During training, she had swiped Cato's knife, getting away so quickly, that Cato had no idea who it had been.

For some reason, Rue had been watching me that same day.

Finally, it was time for the tributes of District 12. Suspense filled the room, as Roflin's face appeared on the screen.

"Onto our handsome District 12 tribute, Roflin Rose", Ceaser started. He paused. " With the score of an eight!"

Roflin's face lit up, but no surprise was portrayed. I gave him a quick hug, following a congratulations from Effie and Haymitch.

"And last but certainly not least, we have the searing Sarah Leversend. Also known as 'The girl on fire" ", it seemed like time stopped before Ceaser finally announced "Who scored an outstanding eleven!"

An eleven? I couldn't believe it! I had shot an arrow at their heads, and they gave me a score as high as that?

"They must've like your guts", Haymitch congratulated.

_I wonder what Cato must be thinking…_

**Cato's POV:**

"Ho-ly crap.", I muttered, my jaw still aching to drop in awe at the sight of Sarah's score.

_She's definitely on fire_, I thought to myself

'That scrawny little bitch"

I looked at Clove, who was scowling at the screen.

"And to think that you actually find that District 12 trash attractive", Clove growled.

"What?", I exclaimed

My face turned red. I didn't know whether it was from her accusing me of liking Fire Girl, or the fact that she had insulted her. Either way, I had to deny both.

"That's right. I see the way you look at her. You melt, like you're engulfed in her flames, the flames that I'm going to put out ", she continued.

"That's ridiculous. She's absolutely worthless to me. She's the first piece of crap that I'm going to step all over. I'll enjoy seeing her die slowly and painfully", I spit back.

There's no way I had feelings for her. Sure, I liked to play with her mind a little. But I did that with every girl I thought was pretty. Even if she's beyond that… beautiful, dangerous, and.. No! I had to stop myself. I can't do this, can I? Maybe I just have to admit it. She does seem to flick a switch inside of me. But there's no fucking way that I was sharing any of that with Clove, or anyone else. If they even lay a hand on her, try to put out her magnificent flames… I'll snap their neck like a twig.

I meant what I had said last night. Every little inch of that little flame, is **all mine.**


	7. Eyes Open

**A/N! **

**Heyyy.**

**This is the last chapter before the story takes place in the arena.**

**If you haven't noticed, Cato is starting to drive himself crazy. **

**He's trying as hard as he can to get little Sarah.**

**In this chapter, he goes out on a limb, and tries to talk to her.**

**Now, this is going to be a pretty nice side of Cato- which I believe exists. **

**If you don't like it? Oh well!**

**I really hope you do though, because there's a lot more of the love/hate relationship to come !**

**ENJOY !**

**( please review )**

I walked onto the roof, my restless mind getting the best of me.

I found Roflin, perched upon the edge looking far off into the streets. I sat down next to him.

"Do you ever wish you weren't picked, or in your case, your friends weren't?"He asked.

"You know what Roflin, I actually do", I confessed.

"I just wish we had a say in this. Every year, two of us are plucked up randomly, and sent off to… to die", he stated.

"When has District 12 actually had a victor?", he yelled.

"Never" I admitted quietly, " Almost Never"

"Exactly," said Roflin ,"That's why there's no point in this, in picking us. Why not send the people who want to go, instead of sending innocent ones who are already on the verge of starving to death?"

"Well, it is called the Hunger Games", I joked, although I knew this wasn't exactly the time to.

"Ironic, isn't it? It's only a game to the people who crave watching us all go crazy", Roflin said. " I just wish I could prove that they can't send us off like this. I want to show them that they don't own me. If I'm going to die, I want to still be me."

" I just can't afford to think like that", I whispered.

"Well, I'm going to bed now" he said.

I nodded.

"Sarah", he said, looking back at me. "Good luck".

"You don't know how much that means to me", I said.

After he left, I sat looking down at the empty streets. This might be the last time I even get to be here. I might as well enjoy it.

"That was all very touching"

_Of course. He has to ruin it all._

"Just stop", I said, looking away from Cato.

"I've come to talk to you", he said boldly, as if I was supposed to gush up over the idea.

"Yes, because that worked out just perfectly all the other times".

He stood next to me, as I stay sitting on the edge looking off into the night.

"How'd you score an eleven?" he asked blankly.

"As if you really think I'd tell you", I stated flatly.

"Look, I'm not here to play around. If Clove caught me out here, I'd have to cut her tongue off, or I'd never hear the end of it ", he said.

"That's interesting. So what are you here for?" I asked.

Ignoring my last question, he popped another cheesy phrase, " You may have scored an eleven in skills, but you definitely rank a twelve in beauty."

I laughed ,"real smooth".

He smiled down at me. Suddenly, I realized something- something I needed to say right then.

"Cato, this needs to stop. You can't just sit there, trying to get me to fall for you, when we all have to die in the end. Who knows? Maybe you'll be the one to kill me, maybe it'll be Roflin, or Clove. All I know, is that it's not going to work out."

"Silly, silly Sarah. You never know. Maybe I won't kill you… maybe we won't have to die."

I looked at him, but there wasn't one bit of humor on in his tone, and only seriousness in his eyes.

"There's twenty-four of us Cato, only one comes out"

The next day, I woke up with a huge weight in my stomach.

_There's no avoiding this now. I can't run anymore._

They presented me my clothing, which turned out to be uncomfortable, warm, and easy to move around in. How ironic.

"Remember, head straight into the trees. Find water, water's your new best friend.", Haymitch said in a stern voice.

With one last hug from Haymitch, they loaded me onto a hovercraft, containing the rest of the tributes.

I avoided eye contact with Cato, although I could feel his uneasy gaze on me.

"Don't worry, we'll be okay", I heard an aggravating voice say, looking up to see Glimmer, a tribute from District 1, clasping Cato's hand. He had a fake smile smeared across his face.

For some reason, anger flared up inside of me at the sight of the them holding hands.

I hated her from the start. But even if I did, it was probably just my heart playing tricks with my mind that was making me so angry. But I still tried to hide it from showing, whatever it was.

They inserted tracker into our arms, and sent us off on our own. I couldn't help but hope that Roflin would be okay.

"I'm not allowed to bet, but if I could, I'd bet on you", Cinna said reassuringly.

**Thirty seconds**

I looked around me, my body starting to shake violently.

"shh, it's okay. You're going to be alright. You're tough, you're fast, you're smart, you're on fire. Just remember that." He said while hugging me.

**Twenty seconds**

I started backing away towards the glass tube which would life me up into my death chamber, basically.

**Ten seconds.**

Step by step, I inched closer, not wanting to close the distance although I knew I had to.

I stepped in.

The walls instantly shut around me, my hands flying to the sides.

I looked at Cinna in terror. He just nodded at me, as if nothing was happening.

_I'm going to miss him_

That was the last thing I saw, before being risen into the arena.

With the tributes surrounding me, I looked all around.

A mixture of fear and determination was thrown across their faces.

I saw Cato, who was eyeing the cornucopia, probably plotting how to kill everyone with the supplies spread around it.

The countdown had already begun, with only twenty seconds left.

And within those twenty seconds, I prayed. I prayed for myself, I prayed for Roflin, I prayed for Rue, I prayed for my family… and a little tiny part inside of me, prayed for Cato.

**Ten seconds.**

I found Roflin, who already had his gaze set upon the forest, mapping out his path.

Then finally, I saw it: the silver bow and arrows.

I had to get it.

_but Haymitch said to head for the trees, find water!_

Never mind Haymitch… but what if he was right?

But before I knew it, five seconds were left.

Should I go for them?

**Four**

What if I get killed? Is it worth the risk?

**Three**

Will Cato let them hurt me?

**Two**

I'm sure he would. Only one of us comes out.

**One**

And we were off.


	8. Explosives

_**A/U: Okay ! so now that we've gotten into the games, I thought I might warn you guys. **_

_**One: I'm really sorry that I haven't been updating ! it's just that I had CRCT week, and I'm reading the second book – already thinking about my own version of it, with my characters!  
two: I'm taking a turn in the rest of the book. Some parts may go along with the plot of the original, some are completely made by myself. So in other words, it gets switched from here.  
Some characters may not survive, some die different ways, and some scenes show more or less emotion.  
Well, if I miss anything, it'll be in my next chapter as yet another author's note!  
Hope you enjoy the chapter!  
P.S. Cato and Sarah will be getting close soon, don't worry (;**_

_Great. This is fucking great._

I had myself belted into a sleeping bag high up in a tall pine way up in the air. The best part? The careers were fast asleep at the bottom. Oh, but it gets better, trust me. Roflin was with them, since they had been threatening to kill him if he didn't help them search for me.

It was weird, having Cato to this. He had acted as if he has some sort of feelings for me, and now he's with all of his bratty friends, waiting for me to crawl down for food so he could slaughter me.

God, I was tired. If only I could just sleep without having to worry about never waking up. It was so hard, walking on eggshells like this.

So close to falling asleep… I closed my eyes.

"pstt"

My eyes were instantly back open, my senses flooding back to me.

"Pstt"

I looked around me, almost letting out a yelp after finding Cato perched in a tree a couple yards away. I wonder how he had even gotten up there, considering the fact he had fallen on his ass while trying to climb up to me earlier.

He was pointing towards something a few limbs above where I was. Although the lighting was still dim, I could make out their golden metallic wings, and hear their loud buzzing for sure; they were tracker jackers.

He then pointed down to the ground where the others were sleeping.

_Oh, I get it. He wants me to drop the nest on them._

But when I looked back up, he had disappeared.

I unbelted myself uneasily, making sure I didn't see Cato reappear, while lunging towards me with some death device.

I pulled the knife out that Clove had thrown at me earlier. I climbed up the limbs, slowly making my way towards the Tracker Jacker nest.

I instantly began sawing at the limb that was supporting the nest. I knew I had to do this quickly, knowing that I could end up dead way before any of them got the least bit injured.

It made me feel weird knowing that Roflin was down there. I knew that if he was to die, I didn't want to be the one to kill him. But I had to this. Clove and Marvel (Not so much Glimmer) were a way bigger threat to him than I was.

I felt a sting on my hand, as the branch began to snap. I felt a few more, some on my neck, hands, arms…

Suddenly, the nest fell, causing immediate commotion below.

My mind growing foggy, I attempted to climb down. But my thoughts were too clouded to move gracefully, and I fell to the ground.

I stood up slowly, seeing a distorted Glimmer flayed out on the ground. All the others had gotten away.

_That's what that bitch gets._

A surge of urgency smacked me in the face as I noticed the silver bow and arrow still clutched in what used to be her hands. I removed them from her, and shakily backed away.

All of the sudden, I saw Roflin flying towards me, waving his arms in the air.

"Go, get out of here, run! What are you doing? Go!", he yelled.

Already hallucinating, I turned to flee.

I ran, falling and tripping as I did. Suddenly, I fell into a deep abyss, waves rushing over me as I did. I saw flashes of color, and bright lights. And before you know it, I had no chance to retaliate. My mind went black.

I woke up with leaves patched around my stings.

_I wonder who did this_.

I stood up clumsily, still a little sore from falling.

I searched around the woods, the feeling of being watched biting at me.

"Cato?" I called out.

I saw a hint of black hair peep from the edge of a tree.

"..Rue?" I tried.

She appeared, peeking out from behind a tree.

"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you", I soothed.

We sat and ate as she explained what had happened during the two days that I had been unconscious. Luckily, Roflin's face had not appeared during the Anthem.

Soon enough, a plan was formed, and we split up.

I headed towards the cornucopia, my bow and arrow in hand.

As I peeked from the trees, I saw the rest of the Careers, Roflin nowhere to be seen.

"_Where the hell is he?" _I thought to myself.

They had some other tribute keeping watch over all of the supplies that they had piled up into a big tempting pyramid.

"Look", I heard Clove say, catching Marvel and Cato's attention. She was pointed towards a fire deep into the woods.

Their faces lit up instantly, as they charged off towards the tribute that wasn't even there.

_The plan is already working_

Little did they know, that the tribute they should really be worrying about was about to drop a bomb on them- literally.


	9. Safe And Sound

**A/U: DUDE. Every. Single. TIME I try to log in, or post something, I always get " Internet Explorer cannot display this page ".  
And it's not just that it's internet explorer, I've tried safari, and google. Blah , blah , etc.  
So if y'all have been wondering why in the hell it's been taking me so long to post new chapters? Now ya' know.  
I actually have nine written too, but I honestly don't even think I'll be able to get this one up right away. Sorry for the inconvenience, though.  
I really hope you enjoy this chapter ! well , sorta. This is where little poor Rue gets killed off ):  
Anyways, Like I said, I'm taking different turns than the book!  
ENJOYYYY.**

**Btw, the song I use in this story is not owned by me.  
It's one of the songs from the Hunger Games Soundtrack , Taylor Swift & the Civil wars " Safe and Sound"**

"Rue!", I yelled, finding her captured in a net writhing about.

I cut the net, untangling Rue from it. She leaped into my arms.

"It's okay", I whispered.

"Sa..Sarah!" She yelled.

I cringed back to see Marvel soar his spear in our direction. Just as my arrow entered his body swiftly, I heard utter silence.

I turned around.  
Rue, I- ", my voice broke off.

Pierced into Rue's stomach, was Marvel's spear.

Tears instantly came rolling down my cheeks.

'Sarah" She sighed, looking past me

I looked behind me to make sure no other tributes had tagged along. I turned back to her.

"It's going to be okay", I pleaded, knowing my words couldn't save the little girl.

"Win for me, Sarah", she breathed out softly.

"I will, Rue", I promised, "I'll win for you".

"Sarah… can you.." she began, her voice growing faint.

"What? What is it?", I asked.

"Can you sing to me?" She asked, hot tears streaming down her face.

It took me by surprise, her asking that. I loved to sing; I remember us having the conversation about it before we had split up to carry out our plan.

I pulled her into my arms gently, and yanked every bit of sanity that I could gather from within my mind-wrecked body. Then I began to sing.

"_I remember tears streaming down your face when I said I'll never let you go," _I began, my lips trembling.

"_When all those shadows almost killed your light"_

This can't be happening, don't leave me Rue.

"_I remember you said, "Don't leave me here alone…"_

This isn't a game anymore.

"_But all that's dead and gone and past, tonight."_

I paused, a silent sob tearing itself from my throat.

"_Just close your eyes, the sun is going down…"_

They took her from me…

"_You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now…"_

Only one… only one of us comes out.

"_Come morning light…"_

Why couldn't that one be Rue? Why did I live? It should've been me!

"_You and I will be safe and Sound"_

I'll win for you Rue, I promise.

I lay her body down, the realization that the little girl is no longer with me sinking deep into the crevices in my heart.

"No!" I screamed out, hearing my cries echo off the hollow trees around me." No!"

I kicked the dirt in front of me, the angry beast from deep inside of me crumbling out from its lair, fuming the hatred for these sick people even more.

And even worse than it did before, the message that had dawned on me not even a few seconds ago, struck me violently.

I heard the heart-wrenching tune from the clueless mocking jays' scattered in the trees above, confirming my suspicions.

_She's gone._


	10. Stone Cold

**A/U: Well. That chapter was up WAY faster than I thought I would've been , considering my idiotic internet service with that website.**

**I don't think I have much to say about this chapter, so…  
ENJOY.**

Feeling strong arms pull me back, I continued to scream.

"Sarah, calm down. It's going to be alright ", a voice was pleading.

_Roflin?_

I swung around, seeing Roflin standing tall, his body tense.

"Thank God, you're not dead!"I yelled, hugging him tightly.

"Did you hear the news? Two tributes can win, Sarah!" he enthused.

I looked at him shock, ' Are you serious?", I questioned. Never before in Hunger Game's history has something like this ever occurred. But this is great! I finally won't have to worry about Roflin!

_Or will I?_

I shook the thought away.

"I guess they delivered the news while I was unconscious"

"I guess so", Roflin agreed.

We wandered around, small talking along our way as we searched for a place to make shelter. We came across a tree that looked sturdy enough to support our survival.

In the days following after, they announced that we were to all meet at the cornucopia to receive our survival district backpacks.

We both decided to go, bringing our weapons with us. There was no way in hell that the others wouldn't take advantage of this lovely reunion. I just hope I don't make contact with…

"Sarah!" Roflin hissed, shaking my shoulders violently.

"What?", I yelled, not remembering that we had been heading towards the cornucopia. We had planned on being early, keeping in mind that it'd be pretty good idea to check out what these events would end up leading to. First Guess? Death.

'Shh! You're going to let the others know that we're here!" he snapped.

"Sorry" I whispered back.

It still felt awkward every time I made direct eye contact with him. I tried to avoid doing it.

After waiting about an hour hidden by the dense trees, there was movement seen among the cornucopia. Not even a second later, Foxface emerged from the giant golden statue, grabbing the orange backpack with her district's number patched onto one of the folds.

"Damnet, why didn't we think of that?",Roflin cursed.

Thinking a little too fast, I bolted up from our hiding spot and hurled myself forward, taking off running.

"Sarah!" I heard Roflin call. But I didn't dare turn back, not even glance over my shoulder. I was too afraid to look behind me, only to see one of the careers, or even Thresh, prowling towards me.

Just as I grabbed the backpack, I felt a horrible blow to my face. I fell to the ground, looking up to see Clove standing above me.

"I'm gonna' get you, girl on fire", she spit, " just like we got that little girl".

I wiggled beneath her foot.

'What was her name again… Rue? " she laughed out.  
As I continued to struggle, she kicked me in my side. I felt a major stinging sensation in my lower ribs, and I cried out in pain.

Suddenly, Roflin appeared behind her, his arm snaking itself around her neck.

There were punches thrown, and weapons aimed as they both fell to the floor.

I saw Roflin crawl over to me.

"Sarah!" he yelled panting.

"No, R- Roflin! " I choked out, as I saw a figure behind him.

I felt hot blood sting my face, as Clove strung her knife deep into Roflin's back. Just at the moment, I lost it. I went ballistic. I tried moving, but with each attempt, my ribs screamed for me to stop.

"Roflin, oh God, No!", I screamed savagely. I watched as he sunk to the floor.

All of the sudden, Thresh appeared, ripping Clove off of the ground, and pinning her against the cornucopia.

"What'd you say to her? You killed that little girl?" he raged.

"No! Cato, Cato! Help me!", Clove pleaded.

Just as Thresh smashed a rock against her temple, I felt myself lifted from the ground, the world spinning around me.

I was still screaming for Roflin to save me, as I saw the light dim around me. I barely could make out where we were, my mind still pounding with rage. My only guess was whoever had taken me away from there, now had brought me to some place where we were sheltered from the beaming sun.

As the image of Roflin's wild eyes and his calls for me to come back lingered in my aching mind, "it's going to be okay, don't worry ", were the last words I heard as my violently shaken body, turned still, and I blacked out.


	11. Victimized

**A/U: YAY ! I'm making … well , posting … another chapter ! I actually write all of them in a notebook so I can proofread while typing , and make sure I get all of the errors fixed . Although , I did get a new laptop and my fingers aren't quite used to this keyboard , so there might be some typos. But my apoligies .  
Oh, And I'm making another story ! This one involves Mac miller ;D  
I LOVE him , btw .  
One last thing, I'll be in california ( WHOOP WHOOP ) for 2 weeks , so there's definitely going to be a wait for the next chapter in both stories . **

**ENJOY !**

_I stood in the tall grass, watching Clove from afar._

_I saw some bushes rustle, as Roflin stepped out. Clove approached him, pulling a knife out of her pocket.  
"Roflin!", I yelled , but it seems that my voice could not reach them._

_But to my amazement, Roflin smiled._

_Cato then appeared dragging a bag behind him_

"_Ah, I see you had a succesful trip", Clove hissed._

_Cato released the bag from his grip, letting it fall to the ground with a thud._

_I looked closely as they untied the knot that secured the bag. I gasped as I saw my own self emerge from the bag, looking around as I made my way out. _

_I looked at Clove smiling, as she returned my smile. She then passed me the knife. I took it willingly._

_Roflin looked around, alarm flashing across his face.  
"Wait, you said you were bringing Thresh?", he said._

"_Oh, did we?", Clove gestured, shoving him towards me._

"_Sarah, what are they talki-" he began, but before he could finish, I watched myself plunge the knife deep into his stomach.  
"Roflin, no!", I screamed, starting to run towards them.  
But the closer I got, the farther they went . _

_Suddenly it all faded into a black fog, and I tripped, landing on my ankle.  
Crying out in pain, I looked around for help.  
"Help me!", I called, "Please!"._

_I saw as whole audience of people appeared, with an image of me on a screen._

"_You killed Roflin.", They whispered. _

"_No…it…it wasn't me!", i screamed "Roflin! Roflin please come back!"._

__My eyes flashed open, brigning immediate pain to my head once again.

"Sarah, it's okay, you were just having a bad dream", a calm voice said.

My mind automatically recognizing his voice, a scream escaped from my burning throat, as my eyes fell upon Cato slumped agasint the cave wall.

I fled to the opposite wall, my body halting itself as the pain seared throughout me. I sunk to the floor with a groan.

"Sarah, I-", he began while moving towards me.

"Do **not** touch me", I yelled, but what was it worth? My body was too weak to fight off such a strong force off.

"Just..Just go ahead and kill me", I spat "Just like she killed Roflin".

Tears threatened to flood into my eyes, but I looked down before he could see.

"Sarah, I'm sorry about Roflin. But why would I kill you?", I heard Cato ask.

"Why wouldn't you?", I retorted.

"You know , that's a good question. See, killing you would make going on pointless", he began.

"Oh don't start with that bullshit about you having feelings for me. I'm just a burden on you. This won't get any easier for you than it will for me. End your misery of having to care about me Cato. Just Kill m-"

"No!", he yelled causing me to jump from my position a little,"You obviously don't get the point I'm coming across Sarah. This isn't some little crush that you get in the fourth grade where you write their name on the back of you hand and share the same fucking crayons. This is the type of shit I'd kill other people to have, I'd give or do anything to protect, it's…it's what made me bring you back here Sarah! And the thought of you blaming yourself for being my source of misery is ridiculous, when losing you is the real torcher. You've made me feel such..such strong feelings for you in such a short ass time, and that's what I don't get. That's what drives me crazy."

His body was shaking and you could see his veins popping out.

"Cato…I don't want to hurt you", I started.

He laughed,"The only way you could ever do that is to take you away from me, to make me hurt you."

He began to get closer to me. I stood up, my legs trembling beneath my body, threatening to give in.

As he got closer, his eyes locked onto mine.

"C-Cato…I…", I stuttered as his body got dangerously close to mine.

He brushed back a strand of my hair.

"You're what drives me nuts. Your fire is… is so contagious", he breathed.

I looked up at him, catching his iron gaze once again. And before I could say anything, he kissed me.

Even if it did last for only a few seconds, it sent thousands of sparks through my body, lighting my fire once again.

Before I could react, my legs gave out beneath me, making me yelp in pain as I collapsed.

Cato instantly caught me, his strong arms supporting my weight.

"You need to rest", he whispered.

Setting me down, he reached for a backpack, pulling out a familiar sleeping bag. He kicked the backpack aside, unzipped the sleeping bag, then climbed in.

He pulled my body towards his, then to my surprise he took his shirt off. My eyes gladly took in the beauty of his body. He was so toned, so fit, so damn good looking.

He then wrapped his shirt around me, giving me some extra warmth. He zipped the sleeping bag up, then drew his arms around my body, bringing me close to him. Then he planted a kiss on my forehead.

And for the first time in my entire life, I actually felt safe . In his embrace, I fell asleep .


End file.
